Chapter 25 One death, Xiao Fen'er, isn't enough. ...
As night fell, the palace gates of Beique were tightly shut. On the palace walls, the Imperial Guards on night patrol carried long halberds, their steps steady, their armor making a slight rustling sound with each step.
The stone beasts in front of the palace gate stood silently, the lanterns swayed in the night wind, and a small side door creaked open. A Yellow Gate Attendant, holding a tally, strode out and whispered a few words to the guard.
The Commandant nodded and waved his hand. Two officers immediately pushed open the side door, and a man walked out. He wore a military cap and a dark blue blouse with cloud and thunder patterns embroidered in cinnabar and gold thread. He had a gold-inlaid ring-pommel sword hanging on his right side at his waist.
Chi Yan, who was waiting outside the palace road, looked at Pei Yu and immediately led Wu Zhui forward, handed him the reins, and the two mounted the horse and galloped away.
The black horse came to a stop at the entrance of the Pei residence. The grooms and servants guarding the gate rushed forward and led the horse into the stable. Pei Yu turned and called to the groom, "Has anyone gone out of the residence today?"
The coachman thought for a moment and respectfully replied, "Only Madam Song went out and didn't call the stables to prepare the carriage."
"knew."
Pei Yu went straight back to Shuofeng Hall. Today, His Majesty summoned him to the palace and told him that Pingzhen had taken his wife and left the capital, their whereabouts unknown. The disappearance of an important figure in the case was a dereliction of duty on the part of the Court of Justice. His Majesty gave him three days to bring Pingzhen back, and as for Lady Xiao, she was to be executed on the spot to settle the matter and quell the storm.
It is unknown how much blood Su Wenyi shed, but he secretly reached an agreement with the Ping family not to pursue Su Xin's crimes anymore. As long as Xiao Shi died, it would create the illusion that she committed suicide, and all the blame would be placed on her. The two families joined forces to suppress the storm, and on the surface, they still maintained the illusion of being as close as brothers.
For powerful families, nothing is more important than this.
He beckoned to a male servant who was sweeping and ordered, "Go to the front yard and fetch Fang Mu."
Pei Yu took off his outer robe and walked to the tiger-skin map hanging on the east wall. Judging from the speed of Ping Zhen and his companion, the two must still be within the Chang'an area. Since no travel permits for the two were found at any of the twelve city gates, they must have taken the black market route.
There are only a few businesses doing business on the black market, so it was easy to find them. Wenren Jie has already confessed that this afternoon a man and a woman did come to him to buy fake household registrations and travel permits. He escorted them out of the city, and they got off the carriage at Shuangxi Forest in the eastern suburbs of Chang'an, and their whereabouts are unknown.
Pingzhen's daily routine consisted of serving in the palace, returning home, going out for leisure with Lady Xiao, and having small gatherings with his classmates. He couldn't possibly know about the black market, much less have the cunning to escape; someone must have been orchestrating his escape.
Who is it, Song Huiyin? If she orchestrated the whole thing, and has now achieved her goal, why would she suddenly change her plans to send Pingzhen and Xiao Shi away?
"Young General." Fang Mu took off his boots and entered the room, bowing respectfully to Pei Yu, who was standing in front of the map.
Pei Yu nodded and ordered, "Take my insignia and mobilize the Tiger Guard. Search from the east and west of Shuangxi Forest, and don't miss any villages along the way. In addition to people, pay special attention to any unusual valuables."
"In addition, assign two men from your cavalry guard to monitor Song Huiyin and report her every move."
Fang Mu initially listened attentively and nodded in agreement, but when he heard the last sentence, he paused, wondering if he had misheard, and quickly asked, "Is the young general referring to Lady Song?"
Pei Yu had no time to play dumb with him and said indifferently, "This is a military order."
Fang Mu shuddered, immediately straightened up, his expression solemn, and bowed respectfully: "Yes! This subordinate obeys!"
He hurried out of the house, took Pei Yu's tally and rushed to the Tiger Guard to relieve the troops. On the way, he met Chi Yan, who was also in a hurry.
Fang Mu quickened his pace to meet him, grabbed Chi Yan's arm, and asked, "What happened in the palace today? Why did the young general ask me to have someone monitor Lady Song?"
Chi Yan was also taken aback, confused: "What did you say?"
Fang Mu waved his hand dismissively and said, "Don't ask yet, tell me what happened in the palace first?"
Chi Yan was completely baffled: "Ping Zhen's escape with Xiao Shi was a dereliction of duty by the Court of Justice, and His Majesty reprimanded the young general. Furthermore, Empress Dowager Ping also sent someone to inform the young general that the case must be resolved within three days, but what does this have to do with Lady Song?"
Fang Mu listened without complaint, but a sense of unease lingered within him; he had a feeling something serious was about to happen. The sound of the watchman's gong rang out; it was nearly dusk, and he needed to lead his troops out of the city before curfew. Without further delay, Fang Mu hurriedly bid farewell to Chi Yan and departed.
The night was deep, with only the soft clanging of armored clappers. Like arrows released from a bow, a squad of elite soldiers vanished into the vast darkness in an instant. The city gates slammed shut, leaving only a wisp of dust, which was blown away by the wind.
——
The moonlight was bright, and the low thatched houses in the village were clustered together in twos and threes, their yellow mud walls gleaming grayish-white in the moonlight. Faint lights shone from the cracks in a few windows.
Pingzhen led Xiao Fen'er to push open the door of the rammed earth house at the northernmost corner of the village entrance, and dust rushed towards them. He brushed the dust away, found a usable ceramic lamp, filled it with lamp oil, and lit it.
The firelight illuminated the house, a dilapidated mud house with a thatched roof and a badly damaged door frame. Fortunately, the walls were still intact, and there was a couch inside for sleeping.
He wiped the dust off the couch, took a clean robe from his bundle and placed it on the couch before settling Xiao Fen'er down. Xiao Fen'er was pregnant, and the long journey had left her looking extremely pale.
Pingzhen found a medicine jar in the dilapidated thatched house and started brewing the pregnancy-preserving medicine he had bought on the way.
After discovering she was pregnant, Xiao Fen'er wanted to have an abortion, but Pingzhen persuaded her otherwise. He also hated Su Xin and loathed the child; no man could bear such humiliation.
However, Xiao Fen'er was in poor health. Pingzhen had previously consulted a physician who said that if the pregnancy were to end prematurely, it would be very harmful to her health and might even affect her lifespan. He didn't want to harm her, so he thought, let's just leave it at that and let the child be born. He would treat him as his own and raise him well.
He prepared the medicine and brought it to Xiao Fen'er, but Xiao Fen'er refused to touch it. She hated Su Xin and only hoped that the child would be aborted, ending everything.
Pingzhen dared not tell her the truth, and comforted her, "We still have to hide for a while. If something happens to you during this time, it will be terrible. Listen to me, drink your medicine."
Looking at Pingzhen's tired face, Xiao Fen'er held back her tears and drank the medicine in one gulp. After drinking the medicine, drowsiness overcame her, and she lay quietly in Pingzhen's arms, leaning against him. She remembered things from a very, very long time ago, so long ago that she could no longer remember them clearly.
She was only nine years old when she met Pingzhen, who was only eleven. Her family lived in Cangli Village, and Pingzhen had come to their village with his mother. The woman was raising a child alone, and life was very difficult.
Pingzhen was always hungry as a child, and his clothes were always tattered. He would often go to the village entrance and squat there, trying to steal food from the big yellow dog there. Several times he was almost bitten.
Xiao Fen'er couldn't stand it. At that time, her parents were still alive and she had no worries about food and clothing, so she saved her own food rations for Pingzhen. Over time, the two became acquainted.
When she was fifteen, her parents passed away one after another. Her elder brother took over the household, but her sister-in-law disliked her. Seeing that she was beautiful, she persuaded her brother to sell her to a local gentry man who was over fifty years old as a concubine. Xiao Fen'er was unwilling, but she had no choice but to watch helplessly as her brother and sister-in-law accepted the betrothal money and locked her in the house to await her marriage.
It was Pingzhen. He secretly came to find Xiao Fen'er at night and asked her, "Are you willing to go with him?"
Xiao Fen'er always remembered that night. The boy's face was covered in a thin layer of sweat. He was clearly scared, but he looked at her with a firm and bright gaze, saying that he would take her with him and take care of her and stay with her for the rest of his life.
The two went through countless hardships to reach Chang'an, doing dirty and tiring jobs, and managed to settle down in Chang'an on their own merits. Without any relatives or friends to witness their marriage, they simply bowed to heaven and earth and became husband and wife.
Later, the Ping family found Pingzhen and asked him to return to the Ping family to inherit the third branch of the family. They told him to divorce her or demote her to a concubine, and they would find him another noblewoman from a high-ranking family to be his wife.
Pingzhen said nothing, but simply held her hand tightly and drove the Ping family away.
Xiao Fen'er knew that many people outside were mocking Pingzhen, laughing at him for being foolish, laughing at him for giving up readily available power and wealth for an orphan girl, and even cursing him for being hypocritical and seeking fame.
Only Xiao Fen'er knew that it wasn't like that. She had seen Pingzhen weeping bitterly by his mother's bedside, and she had seen him fighting for food with wild dogs in the countryside. She had seen his fingers covered in frostbite in the dead of winter, and how he was called "bastard" by others as he grew up.
Heiji grew up entirely on the backs of his deceased mother and on his own, never relying on the Hei family in the slightest. He didn't go back, not only because of her, but also because of his mother who died young; he didn't want to call another woman "Mother."
Xiao Fen'er closed her eyes and hugged Pingzhen tightly.
Pingzhen thought she was scared, so he stroked Xiao Fen'er's thin back to comfort her: "Don't be afraid, I've thought it through. We'll go back to how we were before, find a quiet place in the countryside, work at sunrise and rest at sunset."
“I’ll have a few more sons, and I’ll teach them to read and write. Once things have calmed down, I’ll take you back to our hometown, okay?” Pingzhen looked down at Xiao Fen’er in his arms, a smile on his face.
Xiao Fen'er closed her eyes and wept. She couldn't speak, only nodding repeatedly and hugging Pingzhen tightly, as if she wanted to become one with him. For some reason, she felt very flustered.
Pingzhen gently wiped away her tears and coaxed, "Go to sleep."
He raised his hand to extinguish the candle, but suddenly remembered something. He hurriedly got out of bed and rummaged through his bundle, throwing his clothes everywhere. How could it be? How could it be gone? He was sure he had put it in his bundle!
Xiao Fen'er sat up and asked, "Xun Lang, what are you looking for?"
Pingzhen sat on the ground, drenched in cold sweat. When he packed his things, he took the white jade pendant that his mother had left him. The white jade pendant was a proof of his identity, and it was because of that white jade pendant that he was recognized and returned to the Ping family.
His intention was simply to keep it as a keepsake, but unexpectedly, the pendant disappeared. Where did he lose it? He only touched the baggage when buying medicine to prevent miscarriage along the way. Could it have been left at the pharmacy?
Pingzhen dared not think any further. If someone found and recognized the pendant, his and Xiao Fen'er's whereabouts would be completely exposed. That white jade pendant instantly became their death warrant.
He quickly packed his bundle and pulled Xiao Fen'er from the bed, saying urgently, "Fen'er, we can't stay here any longer, we have to leave right away!"
He pulled Xiao Fen'er and hurriedly left the house. The night, which had been quiet, was suddenly filled with the neighing of horses. The torches outside the house stretched out in a line, like a fire dragon, engulfing them.
Pingzhen's breathing quickened. Had they caught up with them already?
Xiao Fen'er's heart sank. She clung tightly to Pingzhen's arm, gazing at the elite troops outside the door. Huiyin's words of advice echoed in her mind: "No matter what, always prioritize your own safety."
She released Pingzhen's arm and ducked behind him as the group broke down the door. Seeing this, Pingzhen rushed forward to delay the group and shouted loudly.
"If you want to catch her, you'll have to get over my dead body first!"
He rushed out like a headless fly, using every means to tear, bite, and pull, refusing to let anyone escape in his pursuit of Xiao Fen'er.
Xiao Fen'er was petite, yet her body seemed to possess boundless strength. Even in the darkness, she actually managed to break through. She had only one thought in her mind: she wanted to live, she wanted to live the kind of life Pingzhen had described. She didn't want to die!
She rushed forward with all her might, her mind already disoriented, and a metallic taste rose in her chest.
However, no matter how hard she tried or how fast she ran, she was still no match for the cavalry behind her. The cavalrymen rode like the wind, as if it were daytime in the dark, without any difficulty. In the blink of an eye, they arrived at Xiao Fen'er's side, easily lifted her up and put her on their horses, and hurried back.
——
A waning moon hangs high in the sky.
Hundreds of soldiers were stationed in Shuangxi Forest, their torches illuminating the darkness. Su You looked at Ping Rong beside him with a respectful expression.
Ping Rong, meanwhile, was looking at a group of tall cavalrymen waiting at the far end, lost in thought.
Su You is Su Wenyi's eldest son and Su Xin's elder brother. He came here on his father's orders to deal with the Xiao family and quell the turmoil together with Ping Rong. Wei Ping Rong, the Commandant of Chang Le, is the eldest son of Ping Qu Marquis Ping Xianzhang and the next leader of the Ping family. Naturally, he wants to be on good terms with him.
"Lord Wei, the time has come; we may begin."
In front of the two of them, Pingzhen's hands were tied behind his back, and he was pressed to the ground by two brown-armored guards. He struggled and cried out in pain, his eyes fixed on Xiao Fen'er in front of him.
Xiao Fen'er was locked in a pig cage as tall as herself, filled with bluestone. She was bound hand and foot, with a strip of cloth tied around her mouth. She did not struggle, but just stared blankly in Ping Zhen's direction, tears streaming down her face.
Hearing the words behind him, Pingzhen struggled to break free from the two men restraining him, staggered, and knelt before Pingrong, pleading, "Elder brother, please, let Fen'er go. I promise, I'll listen to whatever you say from now on and I'll never disobey you again. Please!"
He pounded his head on the muddy ground, repeatedly kowtowing and begging for mercy: "Please, brother! Please..."
Ping Rong withdrew his gaze, stared at Ping Zhen, whose head was bleeding profusely, and smiled disdainfully. He had never acknowledged Ping Zhen's identity, nor had Ping Zhen acknowledged him. He still regarded Ping Zhen as a tough nut to crack.
Unexpectedly, the first time he called him "elder brother" and knelt down to kowtow to him was for an impure woman. Ping Rong couldn't understand Ping Zhen's thoughts. For a woman, he was unwilling to return to the Ping family and unwilling to marry a noblewoman to move up the social ladder. He was really a fool.
Too lazy to waste words with Pingzhen, he raised his hand and ordered, "Drown in the pond!"
"No! No! Fen'er, Fen'er..."
Pingzhen looked back and saw four people carrying a pig cage toward the water. He was horrified and rushed over to stop them, but he was held in place and could only watch helplessly as they threw Xiao Fen'er into the water.
"No!" Pingzhen cried out in anguish, tears streaming down his face, "General Pei, please! Help me! Fen'er is innocent! She's innocent!"
He was at his wit's end. Ping Rong and Su You would never help him; their goal was to kill Xiao Fen'er so that there would be no witnesses to prove Su Xin's innocence. He saw Pei Yu's cavalry guards. If Pei Yu was willing to intervene, Fen'er could live.
"General Pei! General Pei! I beg you!"
Ping Rong and Su You also turned to the silent cavalry, whose leader was Fang Mu, who had been ordered by Pei Yu to leave the city. He was also in a dilemma. He secretly sympathized with Ping Zhen and Xiao Fen'er's plight, but military orders were absolute.
Fang Mu's orders were to reveal the whereabouts of Ping Zhen and the other two to the Su and Ping families. He didn't need to do anything else; he just needed to follow behind the two families.
The cavalry guards remained silent for a long time, and Ping Rong and Su You both breathed a sigh of relief. If Pei Yu wanted to intervene, they really wouldn't have been able to do anything about it.
Pingzhen collapsed to the ground, his voice hoarse, watching silently as Xiao Fen'er sank to the bottom of the lake. The surface of the water returned to calm, utterly still. Blood tears welled in his eyes as he remained motionless.
Ping Rong and Su You waited for a quarter of an hour, and only after confirming that Xiao Fen'er was definitely dead did they bow to each other, exchange a few pleasantries, and then leave.
Fang Mu looked at Ping Zhen's stiff body, sighed, gave a slight bow in the direction of Ping Rong and Su You, and strode away.
At midnight, in the Shuofeng Hall of the Xiao residence, the lost white jade pendant lay quietly on Pei Yu's sandalwood desk. Fang Mu stood to one side, telling Pei Yu everything that had happened that night, including Ping Zhen's desperate pleas for help.
"You sympathize with them?"
Fang Mu hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Are you asking me why I don't help them?"
Fang Mu shook his head, his expression extremely serious: "This humble servant is shallow and does not understand these schemes. But this humble servant knows that the young general has his own plans."
Pei Yu rarely spoke more than a few words: "It would be best to end this matter here. If it drags on any longer, it will turn from an adultery case into a factional struggle. Would you rather one person die or a thousand die? What would you choose?"
Fang Mu replied, "Naturally, it would be best if one person died."
Pei Yu walked to the window, looked at the bright moon hanging high in the sky, and sighed, "Yes, it would be best if one person died."
——
Huiyin woke up just as the sun climbed onto the roof. Today was the beginning of summer, and the room was already getting stuffy. She threw off the covers and thought groggily that she should ask Yanniang to change her blankets, as it was getting hot at night.
Huiyin walked to the desk and drank a cup of water, which finally soothed her dry throat. She opened the wooden window, and in the early summer lotus lake, newly sprouted lotus leaves floated on the surface, and a few early-blooming lotus flowers emerged from the water, their pink buds tinged with red.
Before long, Yan Niang brought the food into the room and placed it on the table. In the small dish were salted black bean egg custard, in the square lacquer plate were steamed millet balls shaped into balls and drizzled with honey, and in addition, a bowl of thick porridge made of millet and soybeans, with bamboo shoots and wild vegetables floating on top.
After Huiyin finished her meal, she stared blankly at Yanniang tidying up the bedding. Pingzhen and Xiaoshi had left, so there was no way to make a fuss about this adultery case.
She could only temporarily shift her focus away from Su Xin and investigate her father's case first. She had no one and no money, so she could only try to use Pei Yu to get the information she needed.
Yan Niang tidied up the bed, opened the wooden windows and doors to let in some fresh air, and took out the winter clothes from the wooden cabinet to wash and dry them.
She carried a pile of clothes downstairs and instructed Asang and Aheng to deal with them. In the main room on the first floor, there were also newly made summer clothes sent by Madam Pei, with soft fabric and bright colors.
Yan Niang then took the pile of summer clothes upstairs, intending to have Huiyin try them on, and if they didn't fit, to have them altered.
Just as Yan Niang reached the top of the stairs, she saw He Jiaying running towards Linshui Pavilion, her skirt billowing as she ran. She was wearing a crimson brocade dress with floral patterns, and as she ran, her dress fluttered like a butterfly in spring.
As they drew closer, Yan Niang heard her shouting, "Something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened! Xiao Fen'er is dead!"
The lacquer tray in Yan Niang's hand fell to the ground, and her newly made clothes fell to the floor, getting covered in dust. She looked up at the second floor, her heart pounding with panic. She rushed out, wanting to tell He Jiaying to shut up.
But it was too late. Huiyin hadn't even put on her outer skirt, and ran downstairs in her plain white undergarment. She walked up to He Jiaying, looking utterly dejected, and asked palely, "What did you say?"
This was the first time He Jiaying had ever seen Huiyin so rude. She replied blankly, "Xiao Fen'er committed suicide by drowning herself in the lake."
Huiyin's vision was blurry, and she could not hear any sound. All she could see in her mind was Xiao Fen'er's tear-streaked face, her despair and sorrow.
Yan Niang went up to support Huiyin's swaying body and helped her sit down. She didn't know how to comfort Huiyin or how to stop her from being sad.
It took Huiyin a while to recover, and she asked blankly, "Where did the news come from?"
He Jiaying, completely oblivious to the strangeness of the situation, said brazenly, "The whole city knows that Xiao Fen'er left a letter written in blood before she committed suicide, claiming that she seduced Su Xin. Now that the truth has come out, she is too ashamed to face anyone, so she threw herself into the lake."
He Jiaying sighed, "I never imagined that I would think she was a good person. I never thought that you could know a person's face but not their heart."
Yan Niang broke out in a cold sweat and quickly tried to signal He Jiaying to shut up, but He Jiaying seemed oblivious to her presence and leaned closer to ask, "Yan Niang, what's wrong with your eyes? Are you feeling unwell?"
Yan Niang's lips twitched, she waved her away, and turned to look at Huiyin. Huiyin's complexion was better than before, but she was still pale and weak.
Huiyin asked, "What about Pingzhen?"
He Jiaying shook her head, walked to the brocade mat and sat down, holding a washed pear in her hand. "I don't know, I haven't heard any news about him."
She took a small knife, cut the pear into four small pieces, and handed them to Huiyin and Yanniang respectively. However, they both waved their hands and refused to eat, so she started eating by herself. Suddenly, she thought of something.
He Jiaying slammed her hand on the table, knocking the knife off and making a loud noise. She shouted, "I heard that the Ping family and the Su Xin family have reached an agreement not to pursue Su Xin's wrongdoing. Today, both families jointly petitioned His Majesty to plead for Su Xin. I reckon he will at most be punished with a few strokes of the cane, and that will be the end of it. It's a pity that Xiao Fen'er lost her life."
If Yan Niang had been indifferent to He Jiaying before, He Jiaying's words just now made Yan Niang put aside her prejudice against her. Yan Niang couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you just say that Xiao Fen'er wasn't good? Why are you standing up for her now?"
He Jiaying glared and sneered, "Xiao Fen'er is wrong, but Su Xin is not necessarily good either. This man can even force his stepmother. He is not a decent person. If you ask me, the death of Xiao Fen'er is not enough. Su Xin should also die."
Huiyin, who had been silent until now, suddenly asked, "Did Pei Yu leave the manor last night?"
He Jiaying replied, "No, Fang Mu did leave the manor. My maidservant saw him. Why are you asking about this?"
Huiyin did not answer. Instead, she helped Yan Niang up and slowly walked upstairs. She stopped at the top of the stairs and said in a soft but firm voice, "You're right. How can the death of Xiao Fen'er be enough?"
He Jiaying didn't understand what she was talking about; there was an enigma about Huiyin that she couldn't quite grasp. At this moment, even though she was standing there without any makeup, wearing only an undergarment and with her hair disheveled, she possessed an inexplicable attraction that made people unconsciously want to get closer to her.
Regardless of her appearance or her identity, it's simply that she is a person who makes people want to get closer.
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